2014 Elections: Poll shows incumbents in trouble

by NATALIE VILLACORTA - Politico

Nearly seven in 10 said they were leaning toward voting for a fresh face this fall.

While an anti-incumbent attitude is prevalent among Americans, Republicans have the upper-hand in the midterm Senate elections, according to a new poll.

In the 34 states with Senate elections this fall, 50 percent of voters favor Republicans while 42 favor Democrats, according to a Washington Post-ABC poll released Tuesday.

In the House, voters were split, with 46 percent saying they would support a Democrat and 45 percent saying they would support a Republican. Those percentages were reversed in the January poll.

The poll also found widespread dissatisfaction with current Washington lawmakers. Less than a quarter — 22 percent — of Americans say they are inclined to vote for their current representatives. Nearly seven in 10 percent say they are leaning toward voting for a fresh face this fall, the highest percentage recorded in the history of the Post-ABC poll.

President Barack Obama’s job approval rating remains the same as in January at 46 percent, with 50 percent disapproving.

The poll surveyed 1, 002 adults nationwide Feb. 27 through March 2. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.